As the Academy of Modern Danse in Chennai turns 25, we take a look at the years gone by

When dancers Kokila Hariram and her husband Gautam Sundararajan proposed to start an academy for modern dance forms in Chennai in 1998, they were refused even a sizeable space. Twenty-five years later, they have the city dance to nimble pirouettes and fearless hip hop. Former students of the academy have even gone on to study dance theory in universities abroad.  

Dancers sway and groove to the beats (Source: Special Arrangement)

The Academy of Modern Danse (AMD), started by Kokila and Gautam, is the city’s first formal Western dance school. As the academy completes twenty five years, its legacy traces the coming together of two individuals who wanted to gift their beloved city the language of modern dance.